Machine for cutting skins



'. 25, 1945. R. H. KONIKOFF' MACHINE FOR CUTTING SKINS through the fur.

a ait-wear Patented Sept. 25, 1945 Search m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEMACHINE FOR CUTTING SKINS Robert H. Konikofi', New York, N. Y., assignorto Jess Cohen, Louis Passloii, Olga Schneebalg, and Doris Weinberg, NewYork, N. Y., copartners, doing business under the firm name of AmericanLambskin Products Application March 6, 1944, Serial No. 525,295

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in means forcutting furred skins, and has for its principal object the provision ofa novel apparatus and method of cutting circular discs from the skinswithout cutting or otherwise damaging the fur.

The apparatus and method of the present invention may be used forcutting any type of furred skins, and it is particularly effective forcutting circular discs from lamb skins for use as powder puffs, or thelike. Heretofore, the cutting of such articles has been accomplishedeither by the use of a simple fur-cutting knife, or by the use of anappropriately-shaped cutting die. When the cutting die is used, the skinis placed, fur side down, on any suitable support, such as an end grainwooden block, and the cutting die placed on the upper or skin side, andthe die then struck with a hammer.

The objection to this method resides in the fact that the die cuts thehairs as well as the skin, and since the hairs are disposed in onedirection and are lying flat during the cutting operation, there is aconsiderable waste occasioned by the cutting of the hairs lying underthe annular cutting edge. In the event that such hairs were not severed,and the hairs on the disc thereafter brushed out in the usual manner,the resulting powder puff has a considerably larger diameter than thediameter of the skin disc. Accordingly, it has been a more acceptedpractice to cut these discs with an ordinary fur cutters knife, takingcare to out only through the skin, and not This latter method, however,is slow and tedious, and any saving in material is offset by asubstantial increase in labor charge.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-speed cuttingtool which will cut through the skin portion only, and thus leave thehairs below the skin uncut, and accordingly make for a considerablesaving in material. Another object of the present invention is toprovide a high-speed cutting device of this general character which isemcient in operation, and which can be operated by one possessing only amoderate amount of skill.

The method of the present invention consists essentially in supportingthe skin, fur side down, on a generally horizontal supporting surface,and then moving a rotating annular cutting element downwardly intocontact with the skin, the cutting element rotating at sufficiently highspeed to cut through the skin without the necessity of compressing thefur between the cutting element and the work support. In this fashion,the skin may be cut without the cutting element entering the furredsection, thus avoiding severing of the hairs by the cutting element.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafterpointed out, or will become apparent, as the specification proceeds.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine forming one embodiment of thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of FIB. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the cutting element and showingthe manner in which the skin is cut without cutting the hairs.

Fig. 4 is a section taken through a disc cut by the machine and methodof the present invention after the hairs have been brushed out.

Fig. 5 is a section taken through the ordinary fur-cutting die of thetype previously referred to.

Fig. 6 is a section taken through a disc cut by such die.

The cutting element I0 of the present invention is shown in some detailin Fig. 3, and comprises a circular portion having a depending annularflange II. At its lower end, this flange is bevelled on its outersurface, as shown at I2, thus forming an annular cutting edge I3. Theinner surface of the flange II is straight, as shown at I4. The circularportion I0 is carried by, or is formed integrally with, a shank I5,which may be mounted in some appropriate chuck I6 carried on motor shaftll of a motor I8. The motor is suitably, and preferably removably,supported in motor carriage I 9, which may include a plurality ofannular strap elements 20. Motor support I! has oppositely-disposedvertical flanges 24 which are received in frame elements 25'and 26forming trackways, thus providing means for longitudinal up-and-downmovement of motor carriage I9 and motor I8.

Frame elements 25 and 26 are part of a general frame structure 30, whichmay include vertical members 3I and 32, as well as a horizontal worksupport 33. Downward movement of motor carriage I9 is controlled bymeans of a foot treadle 31 journalled at 38 in frame 30. Downwardmovement of the foot treadle 31 causes downward movement of a link 39,the upper end of which is appropriately connected at 40 to a pair ofendless chains H, which are supported by sprockets 42 and 43 at thelower and upper ends thereof, respectivel The following means areprovided for connecting the chains with the motor carriage I9, shownparticularly in Fig. 2. A rearward extension 41 move in the oppositedirection, and the motor.

carriage accordingly raised, by means of a coil spring 52 which issecured at its upper end at 53 to the chains 4|, and at its lower end at54 to a horizontal frame member 55.' Suitable ad'-., J'ustable stopmeans limiting downward move- V ment of the motor carriage may alsobepro vided.

is I

The method of operating the machine is shown in Fig. 3, wherein the skin60, having the fur 6T on one side thereof, is placed, fur down, on thehorizontal work support 33. Cutting element ID with annular cutting edgeI3 is now lowered to a point where the cutting edge contacts the skinand cuts through such skin, but not through the fur. The speed ofrotation of the cutting element is an important aspect of the presentinvention, since superior results are achieved only by providing arelatively high-speed motor of the order of 3600 R. P. M. This assures acleaner cut, and results are otherwise far more satisfactory, than wouldbe the case if the motor operated at a considerably lower speed.

As the cutting edge l3 descends and commences its operation of cuttingthrough the skin, the skin will, of course, be depressed, but onlyslightly, and the stop means limiting downward movement of the cuttingelement are so arranged as to permit the cutting element to outcompletely through the skin, but not through the fur. It will be notedfrom Fig. 3 that the individual hairs 6| are not perpendicular with thesurface of the skin, but rather are disposed in one direction, which isthe case in practically all furred skins.

For certain types of skins, it may be desirable to provide means forholding the disc while the same is being cut, thus preventing the cutdisc from remaining within the recess of the cutting element, whichoccasionally occurs in light-weight skins. These means may include anopening 62 in the center of the cutting member, which opening receivesa. headed pin or button 63 which engages the center of the disc. Thisbutton is readily removable. The fur on the resulting disc 65 is thenbrushed in all directions, thus causing the hairs to project radiallyfrom the center of the disc. In this fashion, the over-all diameter ofthe furred surface is from 20% to 30% greater than the diameter of thefur disc itself, thus achieving a considerable saving in material.

The advantage of the method and apparatus of the present inventionbecomes more apparent when considered in contrast with the commonlypracticed method shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein represents the usualannular cutting die, having a cutting edge H. As the disc 12 is cut, the

skin and the fur are obviously compressed between the cutting edge H andthe work support,

and accordingly the cutting edge severs the individual hairs 13 lyingimmediately therebeneath, as well, as the skin. This produces the resultshown in Fig. 6, wherein the hairs 14 have been severed, andaccordingly, when the hairs are brushed out, they will extend from themarginal edge of the disc on the right side, when viewed as in Fig. 6,but not on the left side, which produces a distorted circle.

While I have herein shown and described one form or embodiment of myinvention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed indetail the construction and arrangement incidental to a specificapplication thereof, it is to be understood that the invention islimited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts,nor to the specific embodiment shown herein, but that extensivedeviations from the illustrated form or embodiment of the invention maybe made, without departing from the principles thereof.

What I claim is:

An apparatus for cutting circular discs from furred skins comprising aframe, a vertically-reciprocable support slidable in the frame, a foottigadle journalled adjacent the lower end of the frafi," meansconnecting the support with the treadle to reciprocate the support, amotor with itsshaft disposed vertically carried bTtlresupport, a cuttingelement formed with an annular cutting edge carried at the lower end ofthe motor shaft, and a Wm carried by the frame for receiving afuried'skin, fur side down, on such support, whereby the annular cuttingelement may be moved downwardly, by depressing the foot treadle, intocutting relation relative to the skin while rotating at high speed toout such circular discs from the skin.

ROBERT H. KONIKOF'F.

